Thrashing-machine



(No Model.)

G. ,L. PITTMA'N. THRASHING MACHINE.

No. 352,148. Pa'tnted Nov. 9, I886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE L. FITTMAN, OE BELMONT, OHIO.

THRASHlNG-MACl-l lNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 352,148, dated November 9, 18 86.

Application filed April 16, 1886. Serial No. 190,111. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. PITTMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bel mont, in the county of Belmont and State of Ohio, haveinvented anew and useful Improvement in Threshing-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to devices for shaking the straw on the carrier of a thrashing-machine inorderto dislodge'theloose grains therefrom; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices,-that will be more fully set forth hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 isa side elevation of a portion of a thrashing-machine provided with my improved device for shaking the straw. Fig.2 is a top plan View of my invention.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of thesame, taken on the line a: x of Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1, A represents the usual straw-carrier of a thrashing-machine. Above this carrier, at a suitable point in thesides of the frame v B of the machine, is j ournaled a pair of crankshafts, a and b, each of which is provided throughout its length with a series of opp0-' sitely-extending cranks, c. The shaft a is provided on one end with a band-pulley, d, and a spur wheel, c, and the shaft 1) is provided on one end with a spur-wheel, f, which is of the same diameter and has the same number of teeth as the wheel 6, and meshes therewith, so that when the shaft ais rotatedthe shaft 12 will be also rotated at the same rate of speed and in the opposite direction. The shafts are so geared that when in theirinitial position their respective cranks will be parallel with each other, as shown in Fig. 3.

To the wrists of the'cranks of the shaft b are journaled aseries of blocks, 9, to which are rigidly secured a series of fingers, h,whic h are made of metallic rods, and have each a forthat are journaled on the wrists of the cranks of the shaft a, the said stems It being free to reciprocate in the openings in the said blocks.

-The operation of my invention is as follows:

When the thrashingmachine is in operation, the shafts a and b are rotated by being connected to asuitable driving-pulley on the machine by means of an endless belt, m, and'the band-pulley 011 the shaft a. WVlien the said shafts arein their initial position, (shown in Fig. 2,) the lower ends of the arms of the fingers are substantially in a horizontal line with each other at a considerable distance above the carrier, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. When motion is imparted to the said shafts, the shaft to rotates in the directionof the arrow in, (shown in Fig. 3,) and the shaft 6 rotates in the contrary direction, as indicated by the arrow nin the saidfigure. The said shafts are arranged closely together, so that their cranks describe intersecting circles, and thereby, when they rotate, the fingers are moved from a horizontal to nearly a vertical position 'and back again. WVhen the shafts have moved through one-fourth of a circle, the cranks 011 the shaft a assume a vertical position, and those on the shaft 12 assume the same position, by which means one-half of the fingers have their arms raised to their highest point from thecarrier, and the remaining half of the said fingersintermediate between the others have their arms depressed nearly to avertical position, and with their points almost in contact with the carrier and engaging with the straw thereon. Continued rotation of the shafts causes the engaging ends of these arms to move forwardly for a very slight distance with the carrier and then upwardly, while the intermediate series of fingers descend and come in contact with the straw on the carrier, their movement being precisely the same as that of the first series, but one-half a revolution later as to time. The outer end of each arm of the fingers describes two arcs of a circle, forming the sides of a crescent. As the shafts a and b are rotated at a very high rate of speed when the thrashing-machine is in operation, and as the straw is subjected to the kicking action of the two sets of fingers during its passage on the carrier, it is very violently agitated thereby, thus causing all the loose grains on the straw to be dislodged therefrom.

It will be observed that the cranks of one shaft work within the cranks of the adjacent shaft, so that the cranks intersect each others orbits, and thus the fingers carried by the shafts are caused to be tilted to nearly a vertical position, thereby causing the fingers to enter the straw point downward and get a firm hold on the straw. It also enables the fingers to be made much short-er, consequently reducing the friction and the leverage of the fingers on the crankshafts, and enabling the machine to run much more easily.

Having thus described my invention, I claima 1. In a thrashing-machine, the combination, with the strawcarrier A, of the shafts a b, geared togethcr'and each provided with the series of oppositely extending cranks, the blocks gl, journaled on thewrists of the cranks of the respective shafts, and the fingers h, having their stems suitably connected to blocks 9 and passed through openingsin blocks 1, whereby the said stems are free to reciprocate in the blocks Z when the machine is in operation, as set forth.

2. In a thrashing-machine, the combination, with the straw-carrier A, of the parallel shafts a. b, geared together and provided with oppositely-extending cranks, and fingers attached to one of the cranks of each shaft, said shafts being arranged close together, so that their cranks describe intersecting circles, whereby when the shafts rotate the fingers are moved from a horizontal to near] y a vertical position, as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE L. PITTMAN. lVitnesses:

JOHN O. CARLETON, MARK L. CARLETON. 

